JackStraw

BEST OF THE CITY

Global Chic Menswear.

The look is American—by way of the world. Drawing on nearly 20 years’ experience as a hunter-gatherer of fine yet laid-back menswear—and an obsession with timeless styles, JACK STRAW co-owner John Richards slips down alleyways in Paris, Milan, and Antwerp to find washed (read: fashionably rumpled) cotton and hemp blazers in sandy lavender, fine gingham shirts to throw on beneath them, and slim-fitting, ankle-length pants. Good news for Seattle’s all-American-yet-global girls: Richards will make space for a small women’s collection next spring.Seattle Metropolitan's Best of the City, July 2009.

DESIGNERS

MANBarenaBlue Blue JapanBoglioli

Engineered GarmentsSage de CreteTS(s)

WOMAN

BarenaDries Van Noten

FWK Engineered GarmentsIssey MiyakeMarniSofie D'Hoore

Stella Love

PRESS

Seattle Metropolitan, October 2008.

LYRICAL STYLE

Like the Muddy Waters music that fills the air, Jack Straw Clothing is raw, authentic and masterful. Bare brick and whitewashed wood beams frame a skillfully edited collection of men's clothing: urbane jackets from Dries Van Noten, Oxford cloth button-downs from Italy's Danolis and Ann Demeulemeester's radically chic vests, shirts and pants. In creating Jack Straw (named after a Grateful Dead tune), which opened in September, co-owners John Richards and Paola Medina pooled their years of retail experience to pull together clothing and accessories that transcend trend while remaining indisputably modern. Despite its serious style, the haberdashery is not without a sense of humor. Be sure to check out the Beatles-dedicated dressing rooms (each named after a nember of the beloved band) and the men's bathroom tribute to their famous White Album.Lei Ann Shiramizu, Seattle Magazine, Fall 2008.